Keep The Game Beautiful

Lisa Cole has a strong established reputation as a soccer coach. She has helped to develop and lead efforts for United Soccer Coaches related to Goal Keeper Instruction while leading Antigua and Barbuda Women's football. She strives for equity and to create a welcoming environment where all are welcome. She is a former college coach and was part of the Boston Breakers at a time when the Women's league was first growing in the US.

Pete Nowakowski joins me from Australia. He is an advocate and coach for adaptive and inclusive soccer serving both blind and deaf athletes. He also is a big fan of Women's football and has done media work to grow recognition of the game. 

Emma Morris is the head coach at Bethany Lutheran College (D3 Minnesota). Today on the podcast we talk about how an ACL injury when she was 14 led her to start officiating, some of the development milestones that she participated in as a referee in England, and about how she came into coaching in the United States. 

Staci Wilson is a club soccer coach and strength and conditioning coach. She has frequently led sessions at United Soccer Coaches conventions and continues to give back to the game. She not only won three National Championships as part of the University of North Carolina soccer program but she also earned co-National Player of the Year. She would go on to compete with the US Womens National Team and was part of the 1996 Olympic Gold team.

Tanner Krause started working at the family business Kum & Go when he was nine years old, today he is the CEO. Kum & Go is very active with human rights projects and supporting programming related to Black Lives Matter, and Gay and Trans rights. Tanner still plays soccer today and hopes to return to coaching soon. He grew up enjoying the sport and played through his college years at Loyola University. I enjoyed learning about how soccer helped to prepare him for his role today.

Abbie Metz is the head coach of the new Women's Soccer program at Black Hawk College in Illinois, part of the Quad Cities. She attended Black Hawk College as a student before going on to Saint Ambrose University where she also played as an athlete. She has coached for Sporting Iowa East. We talk about what it's like to start a program in a pandemic and some of the things that keeper her grounded as a coach including faith and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Sarah Dwyer-Shick has coached AYSO recreational soccer through ODP and beyond. As a coach she has built a strong network and had opportunities to go around the world. On one trip she learned about the importance first hand of female athletes not having access to Sports Bras and other basic necessities. Today the organization she founded, Sports Bra Project raises awareness and collects sports bras for those in need in the US and beyond.

Charlie Ochoa is the head coach of the new Black Hawk College program as well as the head coach of Davenport West. Before coaching in the NJCAA he was a goal keeper at Scott Community College and played one year at St. Ambrose University. We talk about what it is like to start a program during a pandemic, about goalkeepers, and of the recruitment process.

Dr. Missy Price is the Head Coach of Wellesley College Women's Soccer and the President of United Soccer Coaches. She has been active in the game in a variety of ways and been a strong advocate for players and coaches alike. She earned her PhD and Masters in Sports Psychology with an undergrad degree in kinesiology.

Dan Rothert coached collegiately for over twenty years at Loras College earning an impressive 516-213-51 record, multiple conference championships, Five NCAA Final Fours and a National Runner-Up title. This past year he started Top Student-Athlete Recruiting and is working to provide resources to help athletes pursue college playing opportunities in soccer and other sports. He has started to officiate and continues to serve youth soccer through the low cost Key City Soccer Association.